


Honey If You Want Me Don't Play It Nice

by yaoihandschan



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Cuckolding, F/M, Happy Ending, M/M, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-18 12:36:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yaoihandschan/pseuds/yaoihandschan
Summary: Tim struggles to find a connection somewhere outside the bedroom, but who says he can't have a little fun along the way?





	1. Strike the Match

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece after a long hiatus, it will be multi-chaptered and I will also be working on other pieces that I haven't updated in a while, so updates may be a bit infrequent.

            Tim Drake wakes up with a throbbing in his head and a weight over his chest, making it impossible to breathe correctly. Tim gathers himself enough to remove the offending arm from his chest. He rises from the bed and slips on a pair of boxers. As he makes his way to his balcony doors he picks up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his nightstand. When he’s greeted by the warmth of the sunlight as he opens the doors he takes a deep breath.

            _Nothing like the smell of Gotham smog_ , he thinks sarcastically.

            He ponders whether the smog or the cigarettes will kill him first as he places one between his lips and lights it. He lets his mind go completely blank as he leans over the banister. The burn in his lungs as he smokes is a welcome one. He’s unsure of how many cigarettes he’s smoked when he feels a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a pair of lips press against his neck. He stamps the cigarette out on the banister.

            “Good morning, sexy,” a baritone voice rumbles against his neck.

            Tim blows out the remaining smoke in his lungs, “It’s 1pm Roy.”

            Roy chuckles behind him, “Details, babe, details.” The arms move lower down his body and the lips move to his ear.

            “You ready for round five?” Roy asks before his teeth close around his earlobe.

            Tim closes his eyes and lets out a soft moan, enjoying the feeling, “Can’t, I’ve got to head to the airport later.”

            Roy doesn’t unlatch himself from Tim, just continues to entertain himself with exploring Tim’s anatomy, “Oh?” is all he offers in response.

            “Have to fly out for school tonight,” Tim continues.

            This seems to pull Roy’s attention from his ministrations, “Does that mean I won’t be seeing you for a while?”

            Tim turns to face Roy in his arms, “Not like it’s anything new. We went a while there without seeing each other. Pretty sure you would have forgotten I existed if you hadn’t seen me at that club.”

            Roy looks at Tim with a placid look on his face. He moves a strand of Tim’s hair out his face, “Did you miss me?”

            Tim scoffs at that, “Your dick, sure.”

            That makes Roy chuckle, but there’s something almost sad about it, “I don’t think it was me that was forgetting an existence, pretty boy.”

            Roy pulls away from Tim and makes his way into the room. Tim watches him get dressed for a while, eventually turning back to the scenery outside of Drake manor. He barely registers the soft click of the door closing being Roy. He lights up another cigarette, the click of the cigarette covered by the sound of Roy starting up his motorcycle engine. Tim watches him absently as he drives down the long, winding driveway. The gates open quick enough that Roy doesn’t have to slow his speed. When he’s out of sight Tim puts out his cigarette and makes his way back to the bed.

            Tim sighs as he collapses face first into the bed. His headache currently felt like someone was beating his head with a hammer. Roy’s touch had distracted him, but he had made sure to cut that off quickly. No use in getting attached to someone like him. Roy’s reputation had always preceded him; quick to run off once he got tired of you. Good for a satisfying fuck though. Tim shut his eyes in an attempt to shut off his brain. The next time he opens his eyes, the sun flittering into his room had an orange tint to it.

            “Shit,” he mumbles to himself.

            He pushes out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom. He opts not to look at himself in the mirror as he slips out of his boxers. He knows what he’d see in there; olive skin covered in a smattering of dark purple marks, a messy mop of dark brown hair, clear blue eyes surrounded by dark circles. He waits until steam fills the bathroom before he climbs into the shower. He feels the slide of something sticky down his thighs. He shivers at the thought of what he must look like, cum sliding down his thighs. Quickly washing the stickiness from between his legs, Tim shakes himself from his thoughts. Tim is sure having such a high libido wasn’t normal, he could probably be classified as a sex addict.

            That was the least of Tim’s worries at the moment. He was still able to function in his everyday life, so it wasn’t a cause for concern. Freshly showered and wrapped in a clean towel Tim picks up his phone. He had a notification from Conner Kent.

            _good luck @ scool, call if u want. im always avalbl_

Tim had to give it to him, the guy was persistent. They had had a thing while Tim was in Metropolis for a summer program at LexCorp. Tim liked the guy well enough, he had a body to die for, that was for sure. However, before Tim left for Gotham, Conner had made very apparent that he wanted more than just a fling. Tim had just sat there, silently, while Conner had gripped his hands tightly and stared into his eyes, professing his feelings for Tim. He’d had a feeling that Conner would want a relationship in the end, although Tim had made it clear their relationship would be purely physical.

            Tim throws his phone on the bed, he doesn’t bother responding to the message. He dresses in a pair of black jogger sweats and a black turtleneck. When he’s finished fixing his hair into a messy bun he slides on his glasses. While he ties his Nike’s, he can hear his stepmother’s disapproving voice in his head. Harping on some insignificant thing, like his hair, as she always does. Tim throws his carryon bag over his shoulder before turning to take one last look at his unkempt room. He’s sure the maids will have it looking as uniform as a hotel room by the time he’s back for break. Once outside, Tim sits on one of the many benches lining the front of Drake manor as he waits for the Lyft.

            His mind wanders to the image of Roy driving off earlier that day. He feels an ache in his chest at the thought of Roy no longer being there to warm his bed. Tim wonders if that’s a crush, or separation anxiety. He and Roy may have never been close outside of the bedroom, but at one point, Roy had been a constant in his life. Ever since he had lost his mom, Tim had struggled with opening up to people in any other way besides sexually. He supposes he does feel bad for the way things had ended with Roy, but he’s more than sure he’ll have moved on by the time he and Tim ever run into each other again.

            Tim is pulled from his thoughts by the sound of tires on gravel. The car stops at the bottom of the marble steps. Tim makes his way down them, opening the backseat door. He tosses his bag inside and shuts the door before making his way to the other side of the car. Before getting in, he takes one last look at Drake manor. He doesn’t feel sadness, instead he feels something more akin to elation. He’ll be away from his father, his step-mother, and most importantly, the ghost of his mom. On the ride to the airport, Tim lets a small smile slip onto his face as he feels himself relax for the first time outside of the bedroom in a long time.


	2. There's a Fire Raging Under My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim lands in LAX, and thus we beginning the shenanigans

            Tim is awake for the whole 7-hour flight to LAX. He supposes he should have worked on his sleep schedule so he wasn’t up all night just three days before the start of class, but Tim Drake is nothing if not a creature of habit. He watches the passing lights of the runway against the pale early morning light. He checks his watch, it’s barely nearing 6 am, registration and move-in didn’t start until 8 am, leaving him with time to kill. The man next to him wakes when the plain jostles upon landing. He has a very unattractive trail of drool coming from the side of his mouth.

            Tim watches him from the corner of his eyes as the man stretches his body out. He looks familiar, but Tim couldn’t place him. Maybe he’d seen the guy in passing, at a party or a social event. They had been on the same flight from Gotham Airport, so it could be likely they had met. Tim turns his attentions back to the window, considering his options of how to kill some time. The man brushes against Tim’s arm in his efforts to look out the window.

            “Wow, I don’t think I’ve been up this early since last Fall semester. Huge mistake, man.”

            Tim takes this as his cue to respond. He turns to him, offering a small smile, “You coming back for classes?”

            The guy turns his dorky smile on him, “Yup! Dick Grayson! And you?”

            _Ahhh, that’s it_ , Tim thinks.

            That would explain why he looks so familiar, Dick Grayson was one of Bruce Wayne’s adoptees. The socialites had kicked up quite the fuss when Bruce had shown up to an event suddenly toting an underage boy. Talks of whether he was an illegitimate child, or something more sinister were rampant that night. Tim had just rolled his eyes at these ridiculous adults and went back to entertaining himself with the small plate of hor d’oeurves in his hand.

            Tim wonders how long he’s been silent before he speaks, “Timothy Drake.”

            However long it was Dick doesn’t look fazed as he reaches his hand out for Tim’s, “I thought that was you! We’ve met before haven’t we?”

            Tim returns the gesture by shaking his hand, “In passing, we have. You were always too busy with your brother, Jason, I believe.”

            The responding laugh is warm and deep. It sends a shiver down Tim’s spine that goes straight to his dick. It looks like Dick is about to speak again, but the captain finally announces that it’s safe to get off the plane, so Tim rises to grab his carryon over-head. As he squeezes himself between Dick – who’s struggling to remove his bag from the overhead compartment – and the chair in front of him, Dick grips his wrist.

            “Wait, where are you headed right now?” Dick sounds a bit…frantic?

            Tim looks at his watch, 6:02 am, “Not sure, can’t actually start to move in for another two hours, so I’ve got time to kill.”

            Dick’s face lights up at this, “Join me for breakfast! Jason got here last weekend to meet some professor about working as his assistant. He’ll be there as well.”

            Tim considers this, ultimately figuring he’d like to pursue something with Dick, “Sure, sounds fun.”

            Dick smiles wider than Tim thought was ever possible, “Great!”

            Dick goes back to struggling with his carryon in the overhead bin. Tim starts to feel bad for the guy. He climbs up onto the seat next to Dick and reaches for his bag. From this angle, Tim can wiggle the bag enough to slip it free. When he turns to offer it to Dick, he’s giving him a look that Tim is familiar with, lust.

            Tim smirks, “Your bag?”

            Dick seems to snap out of his stupor, “Thanks.”

            Once he takes his bag from him, Tim steps down from the chair. He makes his way off the plane, sure that Dick is hot on his heels. He pulls his phone from his pocket and turns it on. As he waits for it to load up he turns his attentions to Dick.

            “Did you need to stop at baggage?”

            “No! Bruce is sending my stuff tomorrow, you?”

            Tim wonders what his face looks like while he says this, but he continues walking instead, “Same for me.’

            Dick reaches out and grabs his wrist, halting him, “Y’know, for someone of your height, you sure do walk fast.”

            Tim finally allows himself to turn and look at him. He doesn’t answer, so Dick scrambles to continue, “I just meant that we don’t have to rush, the place is just three blocks from here.”

            Tim chuckles at the look on Dick’s face, as if he’s scared Tim was going to run off.

            “Sorry, force of habit, Dick.”

            At the sound of his name, Dick relaxes his grip and his face, “Okay…Okay, good.”

            He smiles at Tim again and continues to walk, but refuses to let go of Tim’s hand. Normally, Tim wouldn’t allow this, but this isn’t Gotham, there’s no one around to snap their picture. In a town like Los Angeles, there’s bigger people for the paparazzo to harass. Tim has an overwhelming desire to tease Dick, wonders what expression Dick would offer as he went down on him. Or as he sucked Tim off.

            Dick had been a childhood crush, only two years older than him, he was one of the few kids that would regularly attend the same boring parties Tim was forced to attend by his parents. There had always been something warm and inviting about the man currently towing him along. Tim doesn’t feel that same desire to be considered a love interest for Dick. He was more than positive Dick was straight anyhow, the guy had been with a girl for a while. Someone he’d met while he was traveling in Europe. If Tim remembered correctly her name had been Koriand’r.

            Tim is pulled from his thoughts as he runs into Dick’s shoulder, “We’re here!”

            Tim looks up at the name, _Courtyard Caffee,_ the sign read. They didn’t look open, but nonetheless, someone comes open the door for them.

            “Dick!” The person greets.

            Dick releases Tim’s hand to embrace the person in a hug, “Wally! It’s been forever, man. How’ve you been?”

            Tim feels the loss of pressure around his wrist and he misses it slightly. They continue their conversation into the store. Tim drowns then out as he explores the wall of snacks available. He becomes achingly aware of how hungry he is. He realizes belatedly that he hasn’t eaten since the day before yesterday. Tim is drawn from his musings by a smell that he would best describe as ‘gunmetal,’ copper and iron and something else.

            He turns to the door and is greeted by the site of Jason Todd. He’s grown since the last time Tim had seen him. Jason had attended maybe two Gotham Socialite parties. Tim supposed it had to do with the way people would treat him like a piece of trash on the ground. Bruce may have adopted him, but to them he’d never be more than a street rat. Jason had filled out nicely, he was rather skinny when he was younger, but now Tim wonders if that was just from malnourishment.

            When Dick makes his way across to Jason, Tim can see that Jason has a few inches on him. Tim isn’t really listening so he’s a little confused when Dick starts gesturing to him. When Jason turns his eyes on him, Tim can’t keep himself from licking his lips. Jason offers him a strange look before he turns back to Dick to whisper something to him. Tim decides it’s best not to read his lips.

            “It’ll be fine!” He hears Dick respond, “Timmy, let’s take a seat!”

            Tim rolls his eyes at the nickname, but makes his way over to them anyways. They sit at a table in front the large glass windows, Tim on one side and Jason and Dick on the other. Once they’ve all placed their orders, Tim settles for staring out the windows at the foot traffic outside as Dick talks a mile a minute at anyone who’s listening. He can feel a pair of eyes on him, but he just ignores them.

            “Tim?” Dick sounds almost concerned.

            “Hm?” Tim turns his eyes onto him.

            “You okay, man?”

            Tim offers him a tired smile, “Just tired, didn’t sleep much on the flight,” he offers lamely.

            This seems to satisfy Dick though, “I’m sorry, did I keep you up?”

            Tim feels himself laugh before he can stop himself, “You do snore rather loudly, but no.”

            Dick and Jason both get a strange look on their faces before Dick continues, “Oh…okay, good.”

            After that, Dick is actually quiet for a little bit, when he finally opens his mouth to speak again, Wally arrives with their food. They eat in relative silence, only the occasional word of praise coming from Dick. As Tim finishes his meal he looks up to see both Jason and Dick are less than halfway done.

            He wipes his face, “Ganna have a smoke,” is all he offers before he stands from the table and makes his way outside.

            Tim takes in a deep breath; _Damn smog is everwhere_.

            Tim reaches into his pocket for his cigarettes and packet of matches that he had picked up at the airport shop. Lit cigarette in his mouth, he finally pulls out his phone. There’s a new text from Conner and Roy, which surprises him. He doesn’t remember ever getting Roy’s number. He opens the one from Conner first.

_hey Tim hope u made it alright_

            Tim quickly types out a message to let him know he made it. He may not want to date the kid, but he’s not cruel. Next, he opens the text from Roy.

            _Hey kid, I’ll be here when you get back._

            After the text, there’s an image of Roy’s dick. Tim lets out a huff of air as he flicks ashes off the end of his cigarette. Well, Roy must not be that upset.

            _Get tested, numbnuts,_ is the response he types out.

            He puts his phone up and drops his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out with his foot. As he’s doing this, Dick and Jason are making their way out of the café. Dick reaches out and wraps his arms around Tim’s shoulders. Tim figures Dick is just a tactile person.

            “Let’s head to campus, yeah?”

            Tim nods in response and pulls up Lyft on his phone.

            “Don’t worry,” Dick continues, “We already ordered one. Also, here’s your bag.”

            However, when Dick finishes speaking, it isn’t him handing him his bag, but Jason. He’s still yet to speak to Tim, so Tim just offers him a nod which he returns. The Lyft pulls up as Tim is slinging his bag over his shoulder. When they’re all piled in, Tim in the middle, the car takes off. Tim satisfies himself by reveling in the feeling of both of them men surrounding him. He realizes he wouldn’t mind being sandwiched between the two of them more often, luckily he has all semester to make that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any constructive comments in the bottom. I love hearing from y'all. Please be kind, I am trying my best and have no beta.


	3. You Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark

            Tim lets out a yawn as they file out of the car. Tim’s face is met with a broad back as Dick stops suddenly. This leads to Jason running into him, which presses him closer to Dick. Tim lets out an involuntary grunt at the sudden pressure on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He doesn’t even really have time to enjoy the feeling of both of these men, too overwhelmed at his loss of breath. Jason quickly snakes his arm around his his waist, pulling him back along with him. The arm is gone almost as quickly as it had shown up. Tim dimly laments the loss of the arm and the warmth of their bodies as he tries to catch his breath. Tim is brought back to the present by the sound of Jason’s voice.

            “What the hell, Dick!?”

            It strikes Tim that this is the first he’s been able to hear Jason speak. Tim shudders at the sound of that voice, deep and rough. He taps his fingers on his cloth covered thigh, itching to get a cigarette in his mouth, just to have something else to focus on. Dick doesn’t turn to Jason, just continue staring off into the distance.

            “Barbara…” is all Dick offers up.

            This pushes Jason to grab Dick by the collar of his shirt, “Hey, Dick-head, how about you calm your hormones enough to actually pay attention?”

            This draws Dick back to himself, “Huh?”

            “I know you’re all heart-broken and forlorn over your ‘lost love’ Barbara, but get your shit together. You knocked the breath outta Tim,” Jason says through grit teeth.

            This really seems to catch Dick’s attention as he swings around to Tim. He reaches out to Tim, wrapping his arms his shoulders.

            “Tim! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, man. I just got distracted, y’know? Ex-girlfriend, still a fresh wound on my heart. I wrote a few songs about it actually if you wanna –”

            Jason pulls Dick off of him by the collar of his shirt, “You’re smothering him, Dick.”

            Dick looks like a scolded puppy and Tim can’t help but laugh at the image these two make. A full body laugh, one that makes his sides hurt and his head dizzy. He hasn’t laughed like this while he was sober for as long as he can remember. When he’s finally done, he wipes the tears gathered in his eyes. As he looks up at Dick and Jason, they’re both looking at him with those strange looks again.

            Tim quickly brushes past them to make his way to the North Dickson Court, “We don’t have all day gentlemen,” is all he offers.

            They end up getting separated due to their last names. Tim can still see Dick, but Jason is off somewhere on the other side of the Court. The drone of the academic advisors is tiresome. Tim, instead, focuses on the on his phone. He reads articles, just filling his mind until he thought of nothing but the words on the screen.

            “Name?”

            The voice draws him out of his readings, “Drake, Tim Drake.”

            Everything else passes in sort of a blur. When he’s finished receiving all the necessary paperwork and pamphlets he shuffles out of the crowd in Dickson Court. He looks around to try to catch site of either Dick or Jason, after he’s unable to spot either one, he curses himself for not having the forethought to get either one of their numbers. UCLA was such a huge campus; it would be highly improbable that they would run into one another.

            Tim gets a Lyft to the Rose Avenue apartments, on the ride over he thinks of the day that his motorcycle would finally arrive in LA. It was annoying to have to Lyft so much, and would definitely be a hassle when classes began. His father had told him it would arrive before Tuesday, which was the day before classes started. He’d hoped his father was correct, because Tim didn’t know if he could survive having to get a Lyft in traffic. When the car stops in front of his new apartment complex, he makes his way to the leasing office.

            Getting his keys is a relatively easy task, they just take his I.D. and have him sign the finalized form of his lease agreement. Tim makes his way to the elevators and selects the third floor. He thanks whatever deity that may be up there that he didn’t get stuck in an apartment with no stairs. Tim would have lived somewhere else, but his father insisted that he live in the same apartments he had. They’ve recently been updated their units, but his father had just ignored that detail. He’s also decided that Tim should get the experience of living with someone else, which is why he finds himself face to face with Jason Todd as he opens his apartment door.

           Tim is instantly frazzled; Dick was easy to handle. Dick spoke and didn’t care if you responded, but Jason…Jason was mysterious, he was intimidating, but god damn was he a site for sore eyes. Jason doesn’t move from his spot by the sliding glass door, and Tim has no reason to expect him to. He steps into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. Tim shoves his hands into his pockets, his mouth feels real empty right about now.

           “You can take either room, I don’t mind,” Is all that Jason offers him before he turns his attention to the TV mounted on the wall in the living room. It’s not currently on, but Tim wonders if that’s his cue to leave Jason alone. Tim opens his mouth, but before he can speak, there’s a knock on the door.

           “White Glove Moving Services!”

           Tim quickly turns to open the door, he’s met with a stalky man holding a clipboard, “We got a delivery for…one Jason Todd.”

           Tim moves aside and points over his shoulder in Jason’s general direction, “You got him.”

           The man looks over to Jason, “Got some I.D. sir?”

           Jason reaches into his back pocket as he makes his way towards the door. Tim takes this chance to make his way to the balcony.

           “I like a room with a view,” he calls over his shoulder before he shuts the door behind him.

           He’s not sure if Jason will actually give him the room with a better view, but how would Tim know the difference anyhow. Jason didn’t seem the type to let just anyone into his room. When he finishes lighting his cigarette, Tim pulls his phone out of his pocket. He skips past the messages from Conner and his father, opting to open Roy’s

 _Clean as a whistle, baby boy,_ it reads.

           Tim chuckles as he snaps a picture of the view from the balcony, _Great view to have while you rim me._

           The response is almost instant, a picture of flights from Gotham to LAX, on what Tim is assuming is Roy’s laptop, accompanied by the words, _Say no more, sugar._

           Before Tim can tap out a response, another text comes through, _Jk, I’m broke._ _:(_

           Tim feels a clench in his chest at how alone he is out here. Yes, there’s Dick and Jason, but neither one of them is offering the distraction he needs for when times get stressful, and he needed to find someone or someones to fill that role soon. Especially with classes starting so soon. Tim is on his second cigarette when the sliding glass door opens behind him. Tim stamps out his cigarette before he turns to face whomever it is.

           “They’re here with your stuff,” Jason says before he stares at Tim for a moment.

           Tim offers him a nod of acknowledgment before he steps up to Jason. When he doesn’t move and just continues to look a Tim, he clears his throat, “Excuse me.”

           It’s another moment before Jason finally moves aside. When his furniture is settled into his room he collapses onto his bed. He stares up at the ceiling. He knows he should try to stay up for a few more hours. It was only about 3 p.m., but he was so tired. His mind is filled with thoughts of Jason. He was hard to read; did he hate Tim or was he just guarded? Maybe he just felt awkward? Maybe he’d heard of Tim’s promiscuous way? Was he into guys? What did he sound like when came?

           Tim quickly ends that train of thought with a groan. He was losing his battle with sleep and finally decided to give in. He swore he would be productive when he woke up from his nap. And with that, Tim drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	4. My Words Made of Fire Like I'm Rhyming About Satan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving in is only half the battle of making a house a home.

            The next time he opens his eyes, it’s dark in his room. Tim sits up in his bed, the only light he has is the light pollution from outside filtering in through the blinds. Tim pulls his turtle neck off and walks towards the attached bathroom. He turns the bathroom light on and is met with the image of himself in the bathroom mirror. His skin is still littered with faded purple marks and light red impressions of fingers around his neck. He touches the marks on his neck and closes his eyes, immersing himself in the memory of Roy’s hand around his neck.

            He strips out of the rest of his clothes before he starts the shower. While he waits he lets his hair out of the bun it’s in and makes his way back to his room to rummage through his boxes. He locates the soap, shampoo and conditioner easily. Tim may have his moments of laziness, but he knows he will be obsessive about organization until the day he dies. He struggles to find a towel next. It’s after a few minutes of searching that Tim remembers his towels are packed in one of the suitcases that are supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

            He lets out a defeated sigh and weighs his options. He can’t not shower, he feels disgusting. He can’t stand the thought of taking another Lyft to the store. That leaves him with one more viable option; Jason. Tim groans as he stands and gets re-dressed. He opens his door and that’s when he notices the sounds of low music playing and soft voices coming from the living room. Tim runs a hand through his hair before he makes his way into the brightly lit living room. Sitting on the couch, that Tim is assuming Jason had delivered, is Dick, Jason and someone Tim vaguely recognizes.

            They don’t notice him until he clears his voice. Dick turns his head towards him and quickly stands up, “Tim!”

            He runs towards him and envelops him in a tight hug. Tim can’t keep the grunt that leaves him at the force Dick exerts. He places his hands lightly on Dick’s sides in his own awkward version of a hug. Dick offers one more squeeze before he finally releases Tim. He places his hands on Tim’s cheeks.

            “Are you okay?” Dick sounds concerned.

            Tim tries to offer him a soothing smile, “I’m okay, my tiredness just finally caught up with me.”

            Dick lifts a tuft of Tim’s hair, “I didn’t realize your hair was so long…”

            “Dick…” Jason’s voice sounds like a warning.

            Dick offers Tim a smile before he slides his arm around Tim’s shoulder and turns to lead him towards the couch, “Tim, this is Bart. He went to Gotham High for his junior year.”

            Bart stands up and offers Tim his hand, “Nice to meet ya.”

            Tim takes the offered hand and gives it a shake.

            “Did you want to join us??” Dick asks excitedly.

            Tim feels put on the spot and stutters, “Uh... I – Sure.”

            Jason speaks up, “You don’t have to. Dick, leave him alone.”

            Tim fiddles awkwardly with a strand of his hair, “It’s okay Jason…I’ll join you guys for a little.”

            “You hear that Jay? Stop bein’ a stick in the mud,” Tim is sure Dick would have followed this statement by sticking his tongue out at him, but probably not around company.

            Tim slips from under Dick’s arm to sit next to Jason. He slips his feet onto the couch and angles his body towards the other three men on the couch. He notices the stereo system set up on the kitchen bar.

            Jason must follow his eyes because he says, “I hope you don’t mind, I’ll be buying a stereo table soon.”

            Tim offers him a smile, “It’s okay, I don’t mind it.”

            Jason lifts his hand slowly to move a strand of Tim’s hair behind his ear. Tim is frozen by this action; this is the first time he’s touched Tim by choice. He feels the callouses on his fingertips as it as they glide against his cheek. He’s lost in Jason’s eyes when he hears someone say his name.

            Tim turns his attention towards Dick and Bart, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

            “I asked what your major was,” Bart seems unfazed.

            Dick has a constipated look on his face as he stares at Jason. Jason is looking anywhere but at Dick. Tim plays with the drawstring on his pants, a poor attempt at stalling, “Art.”

            Tim is always somewhat embarrassed to admit this. Years of disapproving lectures from his father were enough to make him feel ashamed for his major of choice. Sure Tim was good at science, math and computers, but he felt free when he created a new piece. His father’s disappointment aside, his mother had always told him to stick to what his was passionate about. She had also joked that they had more than enough money to keep Tim afloat even if he wasn’t successful.

            Bart gets an excited look on his face, “That’s cool! And your parents, they’re supportive?”

            Tim hesitates before he answers, “No, I don’t think supportive is the right word. But my father is still paying and hasn’t disowned me, so I’m not sure what to call that.”

            This seems to shock Dick and Bart because they just sit there in silence, but Jason seems to sense his discomfort at the subject, “Well, I know Bruce is just happy I’m in college at all, even if I am a music major.”

            This seems to shake Dick out of his stupor; he slaps Jason on the shoulder as he lets out a hardy laugh, “I know that’s right! Jay here is one stubborn son of a bitch! Man, the look on Bruce’s face when Jay told him he wanted to go to school!”

            Dick interrupts himself to laugh some more, “I swear that’s the closest I’ve ever seen that man come to crying.”

            Tim finds himself smiling at the sound of Dick’s laughter and the look on Jason’s face. Bart slapped Dick’s knee as he laughed alongside him.

            “Yeah Dick, why don’t you tell them about the time you told Bruce you wanted to be a professional circus elephant?”

            This chokes Dick up, “H – Hey now! You said you would never mention that!”

            Tim was laughing before he could stop himself, “A professional…circus elephant! That’s a first!”

            They all continue to laugh and talk for a few more hours until Bart asks if they’d like to go out for dinner. This trips Tim up, he was barely comfortable enough to stay in the living room to talk with them without showering, but going out in public was asking too much for his sanity.

            “I need to shower,” he tells them haltingly.

            “We can wait!” Bart offers helpfully.

            “I actually don’t um…have a towel,” Tim says lamely as he turns to Jason, “I was actually going to ask if you had one I could borrow…”

            Jason is quick to stand up, “Follow me.”

            Tim stands up swiftly to follow after him, but he misjudges how numb his feet actually are. He collapses into Jason and his arms come up to wrap around Tim’s body. Before Tim is aware of what he’s doing, he’s relaxing into his arms. He can hear Jason’s steady heartbeat where his ear is pressed to his chest. The rhythm is almost hypnotizing until the sound of Dick’s voice pulls him from his trance-like state.

            “Are you okay, Tim?”

            He feels a small amount of resistance from Jason as he pushes himself free of his hold. However, Tim tells himself it’s more than like just his imagination.

            He turns to Dick and offers him a smile, “I’m okay, just miscalculated how numb my legs were.”

            It’s in this moment that Tim notices that Dick is sitting on the edge of the couch now, as if he were about to reach out for Tim.

            “You had us scared there, bud!” Bart laughs.

            Tim chuckles, “I’m alright, I promise I’m not as fragile as I look.”

            He winks at Bart before he turns to follow Jason to his room. He hears a choking noise come from behind him, he’s unsure as to who it comes from. When they reach Jason’s room Tim waits at the threshold, not wanting to intrude on Jason’s space. Jason turns the light on in his room. It’s still bare, so there’s no personality. All he has is a picture frame on his dresser and red sheets on his bed. Tim can’t make out the picture held within it.

            Jason appears in his line of vision with a towel in his hand, “Here you go.”

            Tim takes the offered towel, “Thank you. You’re the best.”

            He walks towards his room with a smile on his face. Once he’s back in the shower he remembers the feeling of Jason against him. Tim groans as he feels a warmth grow in his lower abdomen. He really needed to get laid, he was getting restless. He’ll just have to settle for his own hand for the foreseeable future. He doesn’t have time at the moment to touch himself, they’re waiting for him to eat, so instead he promises himself he’ll take care of his libido later.

            When his hair is brushed and he’s dried off he heads towards his bag. He pulls on a pair of black skinny jeans and rolls them up twice. He slips on a short sleeve turtleneck shit and throws on a long, dark green, loose-knit cardigan over his outfit. Once he’s pulled on his socks and black Nikes he makes his way out to the living room. The three are men mid-conversation when he steps out, none of them but Jason notice him.

            He smiles sweetly at Jason before he makes his way closer to the couch, “I’m ready.”

            The other two men turn their heads to look at him. Tim reaches up to pull his hair into a ponytail.

            “What were you guys thinking?” Showered and dressed, Tim feels more like himself.

            “Mexican,” Dick answers, he sounds a little winded.

            Tim smiles wide, “Sounds great, let’s do this.”

            As they shuffle out of the apartment, Tim feels comfortable in his own skin for the first time since he’s landed in LA.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know any inconsistencies, misspellings, grammar, or confusing plot points. It will only help to improve the overall story. Please be kind, hope you enjoy.


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